Conventional multi-phase electric motors include those having stator slots for phase coils and having monolithic, motor phase insulation articles each providing electrical insulation between corresponding adjacent phase coils at the two ends of the stator. In use, the thin motor phase insulation article has two tabs each positioned proximate a corresponding end of the stator between two sets of different phase coils. The two tabs are monolithically joined together by at least two legs each positioned in a corresponding one of the stator slots. The at-least-two legs monolithically hold the tabs together so the tabs do not fall off the stator or misalign during or after motor assembly.
A conventional method for manufacturing a motor phase insulation article includes obtaining a sheet of insulation, such as a rectangular sheet of Nomex® electrical insulation available from DuPont Corporation. The sheet is cut to remove material between adjacent legs and material outward from the outer two legs. It is noted that the insulation article is also known as an “H” paper insulator divider which provides a dielectric to separate stator windings.
Another conventional method for manufacturing a motor phase insulation article is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,543 whose FIG. 5 shows how an uninstalled motor phase insulation article is to be installed with its two legs each positioned in a corresponding stator slot of a multi-phase motor and which shows several installed motor phase insulation articles. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,543, the manufacturing method starts with a monolithic, non-rectangular, special-shaped sheet of insulation which includes steps along two of its eight edges and which includes two monolithically-abutting tabs. Three slits are then cut in the sheet of insulation to form the two legs and allow the tabs to be pulled apart for the motor phase insulation article to be ready to use.
What is needed is an improved motor/generator phase insulation article and an improved method for manufacturing a motor/generator phase insulation article.